Had a great breakfast in Council yesterday morning – omelette, hash browns, and 3 hotcakes for $9.57! Also, I’m pretty sure the group of seven guys at the table next to me was a city council meeting over coffee
Yesterday was great cycling weather – in the 70s with scattered clouds
Got back on the Wieser River Trail, and it was gorgeous – a lot of it was through thick forest. Sure was better than dodging logging trucks!
Rolled though the aptly-named meadows valley, before bombing down the hill along the Little Salmon River
Found a nice little spot to camp by the river
This morning I rolled past probably 50 fly fishers over 4 miles into Riggins
Another excellent breakfast featuring homemade jam on English muffins, and cobbler with homemade ice cream afterwards!
A mostly lovely ramble along the Salmon River, except they were repaving it for about 15 miles, and the traffic – especially the logging and ore trucks – got a little harrowing
Found a nice little beach so I could get in a quick swim
Finally got to the infamous White Bird Hill – just under 3000 feet of climbing. I remember this climb as being brutal, but it actually had all the features that make a climb enjoyable: virtually no traffic (it’s the old highway route), a steady grade that never got too steep, switchbacks to keep it interesting, and incredible views the entire way that let you track your progress.
I recorded the ride in Strava, which is always hilarious because it will tell you that out of 279 people who have recorded that climb, I rank 272!
Had a fun descent into Grangeville, ate dinner, and set up my tent in their very nice park. It would be perfect except that like every 4th truck around here has removed its muffler – gungagungagungaruuuuuuum!
White Bird from the bottomAbout halfway upHighway to Heaven!The last switchback The top!
